Beginning Monday, Jan. 22, the California DMV is taking applications for special identification cards and driver’s licenses that can be used to comply with federal air-travel regulations that kick in 2020.

The California Department of Motor Vehicles on January 22 will start taking applications for identification cards and driver’s licenses that can be used to comply with federal air travel regulations that will start in 2020. The new cards, such as the rendering shown here, will have some new features. (Courtesy of the Department of Motor Vehicles)

Called REAL ID, the special cards are to to safeguard air travel, in the post 9/11 world. To get a card takes more effort than obtaining or renewing the regular license or state-issued ID (DMV officials say the easiest time to get a REAL ID is when renewing a license or ID).

Unlike most times when renewing a license, you must go into a field office and also show proof of residency with a utility bill or a mortgage statement, proof of a Social Security number, and bring in a U.S. passport or a birth certificate.

An original or certified copy of any name-change document, such as a marriage certificate or a divorce document, may also be
required. A list of accepted documents is on the DMV’s website.

“It’s not mandatory,” Cristina Valdivia Aguilar, a DMV spokeswoman, said about the higher-end driver’s license and ID card. “Not everyone will need it or want it. The fees are exactly the same as what your card would cost to renew it ($30). We encourage people to get an appointment.”

After Oct. 1, 2020, U.S. passports, passport cards, military identification or other TSA-approved ID will still be accepted to board a domestic flight. But after that, a traditional driver’s license or state ID will no longer be enough.

Flashing the REAL ID will do the trick, though, for flights and to enter military bases or to get onto federal facilities. On domestic flights, minors still will not need ID if flying with an adult.

The new identification cards will have some different design features, such as images of a gold miner and California poppies in the background. With ultraviolet light, the Golden Gate Bridge and Coit Tower will appear.

Alma Fausto is a crime, breaking news and public safety reporter for the Register. She has worked for the Register since 2013. Previously, she lived in New York City while studying at the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism where she covered the growing Mexican immigrant population in the city. Alma has also lived and studied in California’s rural and agricultural Central Valley. She’s an Orange County native from Costa Mesa, and in her spare time likes to read, visit libraries and drink good gin.